Fire
by Sichan
Summary: This story is Ruby's side of what happened after saving the world from Zophar and Hiro leaving for the Blue Star. Ruby POV Don't judge my stories by their summaries
1. Starting Over

Fire  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note/Disclaimer: Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay...This story was going to replace "You'll Never Be Alone" because of the five requests to continue it. You see, I was going to like write a story for Ruby like I did for Nall in "Memories" and "You'll Never Be Alone" was going to be a chapter in this story. BUT, I changed my mind. "You'll Never Be Alone" will be a short story and in THIS story, it'll be like Ruby's side of THAT story. Did I state that correctly? Do you understand what I mean? Well, if you don't, then poo you! Okay, like mentioned before this story will be like "Memories". It's how Ruby feels after the Epilouge of Lunar 2: EB. I don't own Lunar 2: EB and yada yada yada...Enjoy!  
  
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Chapter 1: Starting Over  
  
Hiro had stepped into the green crystal and left the Lunar and me for the Blue Star and Lucia. Everyone seemed to be fine about his leaving and was happy for him. So I sucked it up and pretended to be happy too. I flew my friends to where they wanted to go. Ronfar went back to Raculi to finally settle down with Mauri, for good. According to him, he was going to give up adventuring because it was making Mauri worry. Jean went back to dancing at the caravan. She was happy to announce that she had definately felt better about her past and now even used the Blue Dragon Fist in her dancing. Leo did the same thing as Ronfar; settle down in Raculi. He said that helping Hiro get to Lucia finally got all of the guilt out of him after helping Zophar and trying to kill Lucia. I didn't drive him home. He decided to take the Dragonship Destiny. Lemina went back to working on Vane's reconstruction. She said that she'll definately win the bet between her and Ramus because she thinks she found the spell that made Vane fly in the first place. Me? I went back to Taben's Peak, since that's what Nall kept insisting before we left to visit the Star Dragon. It was night and I was in Nall's room, crying my heart out on his bed after I had returned from flying everyone to live their lives. Nall came in when he was done putting the children to bed. I heard him sigh and suddenly felt a chill down my back. He had sat beside me and put his hand on me, petting me. I looked up at him.  
"What do you want?" I hissed.  
"To go to sleep actually...you're in my bed remember? But, I wouldn't mind staying up a little longer to make you feel better," he said kindly, despite my meanness.  
"Nall!" I said, throwing myself onto his lap, "he's gone!"  
"I know..." he whispered as he stroked my fur and played with my bow.  
"What will I do?"  
"You can stay with me! I'll take care of you! He'll come back though...I know it!"  
I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. He sounded happy that Hiro was gone yet happy that Hiro would come back. Was he being sarcastic again? I couldn't tell.  
"But Nall, why would he come back? At the Blue Star, he gets to be all alone with beautiful Lucia, the most important person in his life. All that's here on Lunar is ugly ol' me. Just a dumb little cat..." I mumbled.  
Nall frowned, put his index and middle finger together, and slapped me on my small nose. I yelped and put my paws over the area where he hit me. I glared at him.  
"What was that for?!"  
"For putting yourself down!" he yelled. He sighed, "you are not ugly and you're not just a dumb little cat. You are the Red Dragon of Althena, one of the most powerful and beautiful creatures to ever to walk on Lunar! Second only to me...And, you're Hiro's best friend, like me to Alex. I know he'll visit because although he DOES love Lucia, he loves you too, just not in the way you want him to. He'd risk his life to save you, and you know that! Or at least you should. Now I never want to hear you put yourself down like that EVER again! Or I'll hit you!"  
I looked at him. I had never heard him be so kind and complementary to me.  
"...Where'd you get that from? It really hurts!"  
"Well...when I got on his nerves...Nash used to hit me like that."  
He smiled down at me and gently rubbed my nose with his finger. His finger were like a gentle, cooling sensation on my sore nose and it felt really good. ((A/N: HikariOmoi...I hope you don't mind me using your idea about Nall being colder than most humans...I give full and total credit to you for this idea ^_^.))  
"Why are you colder than Hiro?"  
"Because there's ice magic inside of me. Besides, my skin's only cool in my human form. In my other forms, my fur covers my skin and makes me all warm and fuzzy. Anyway, my finger will help your nose feel better. Sorry for hitting you but I had to knock some sense into you."  
"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"  
"You're really sensitive right now. I don't want to be mean and make you cry again...not right now anyway."  
I laughed at him, making him tilt his head confused.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Are you showing affection for me!?" I exclaimed in a teasing manner.  
I could see him blush right before he turned away from me and started stammering.  
"N-no...it's just that, if you cry you'll wake up the kids. A-and I'd never get any sleep with the way you whine and cry! Of course I-I don't care about you. Not like that! Not in that kind of way! Not in any kind of way!"  
For some reason, I actually felt a little heartbroken. It was like I was waiting for him to just confess something. But, I didn't know why. So I shook it off and just laughed again.  
"Well I'm going to get some rest now," I said.  
After my comment's affect wore off, he nodded but didn't stop blushing as I flew from his bed. I stopped as I realized something.  
'Where am I going to sleep at? In one the kids' rooms? Better ask Nall...'  
I turned around and opened my ask my question.  
"You can sleep with me..." he said, answering my question before I asked it. Suddenly his eyes widened and he raised his hands in defense, "No innuendo intended!!"  
I went back to his bed and sat back down. He laid down on his stomach and put the covers over his head. I guess he wanted to forget that I was there. But, I could tell he was acting sorta strange. He has been that way since I came over after we kicked Zophar's behind. So, I jumped onto the lump, better known as Nall, making him grunt from my sudden weight on his back.  
"I know what you meant. But, you've been acting so shy lately! You would have normally intended to say that as a joke. What's up?"  
"The Blue Star. Go to sleep..." I heard him grumble from beneath the cover.  
"Come on, what's wrong?"  
"You! Now shut up before I eat you!!"  
"Stop being sarcastic...I really wanna know what's wrong!" I said pawing at his back.  
He just growled.  
'Sheesh...he's really grumpy when he gets sleepy...'  
Giving up, I curled up right there on his back and closed my eyes. My thoughts wandered from Nall's strange behavior to Hiro's absensce on my planet. It made me upset again. So I daydreamed about his return as I drifted off. That morning, I had woke up before everyone so I went to the playground. It was still very early and the sun hadn't risen yet. I sat on a swing and watched the sunrise.  
"I used to watch the sunrise with Hiro...I used to be so sleepy when he carried me to the roof of Grandpa Gwyn's cabin...and he would wake me up everytime I nodded off...just so we could watch it together...but now...he's gone..."  
Tears had formed in my eyes from the memory of my Hiro. He wasn't there for me anymore. Instead, he was there for her.  
"Lucia..." I hissed, "that blue-haired vixen stole him from me. I mean, Lucia's my friend but...why couldn't she see what me and Hiro had? Why did she have to be so selfish and go to the Blue Star? She should have known that Hiro would follow her! She did know! Lucia did that so the two of them would be alone! Without me! But then again...I was annoying... Was I that annoying to you Hiro? Was I so annoying that you two had to leave the planet to be alone?"  
I stared up at the Blue Star as the tears ran through my fur. That's when, all of a sudden, I was hit on the back of my head. I screamed and turned around. Standing behind me was a tall, lean figure. His facial features hidden in shadow. All I could really see of his face was narrow, glowing eyes. It was freaking me out for a second. But, the short hair that gleamed in the light of the rising sun gave away his identity.  
"NALL!!" I yelled, rubbing the back of my head.  
"Shh!" he hissed.  
He stepped out of the shadows and sat on the swing beside me. I looked up at him when I had noticed several things for the first time. One, Nall's hair was actually silverish, not white. I noticed that by the way it was shining in the sunlight. Two, Nall hisses like a cat. It was actually very amusing seeing as though he was once thought to be a cat. Anyone else wouldn't have understood the inside joke to his hissing. Three, Nall's eyes glowed in the dark. I wondered if my eyes could do that. They looked pretty creepy, yet cool at the same time. Lastly, Nall was actually handsome. Especially without that weird green trenchcoat. He was wearing a brown T- shirt and it really showed off his muscles (which I didn't know he even had). I looked him up and down. Suddenly, I noticed that he was wearing white boxers, not pants. With that, I blushed and looked away from him all together. I didn't understand why my blood rushed to my face when I saw that he wasn't wearing pants...but it did.  
"What're you doing out here?" I mumbled.  
"I always come out here to watch the sunrise. And I heard you putting yourself down again so I hit you."  
I sighed sadly.  
"I just can't help it...why else would he leave me?"  
"Because he's following his heart..."  
"But I thought that I was in his heart too...why would he not want to leave Lucia alone, but leave me all alone instead? Isn't that kinda hipocritacal?"  
I looked up at him again. He was staring back at me with a gentle expression and a soft smile on his face. Nall seemed very amused by what I said.  
"I have to say, you would have had a point...if he had actually left you alone..."  
"Whaddaya mean?"  
Suddenly he grinned, showing his sharp fangs. Something about that smile told me what his response was going to be.  
"Don't be ridiculous! It's pretty easy to see what I meant...but if you don't know you have to find out for youself," he said with a chuckle. I knew he was going to say that. Not like I wanted to hear that. But then he continued, "in the meantime...if you miss watching the sunrise with someone, we can watch the sunrise together. Every morning..."  
His kindness surprised me yet again. I smiled at him and flew onto his shoulder.  
"Sure..." I said.  
We both stared at the sun as it awoke from it's slumber and peered up above the horizon. For awhile, we were silent but then I decided to speak up.  
"How can you be so sure Hiro will come back?"  
"I just know these kind of things..." he said.  
I noticed that his tone was borderlining grim and sarcastically happy. Either way, he seemed pretty upset about Hiro coming back. When I was about to ask him about it, he took me off of his shoulder and sat me on the swing. He smiled at me and stood up.  
"I have to take care of the kids. It's almost around the time they wake up. Feel better!"  
Nall poked me in the head and left. Since the sun was already up, I decided to look at the Blue Star until several kids had came out and requested the swings. I flew back into Nall's room and saw him and some kid talking. The kid was crying.  
"I-I had a bad dream!!" the little girl said.  
"What happened in it Sasha?"  
"A HUGE monster was trying to kill everyone at Taben's Peak! A-and I was scared. Then it got me and there was so much pain!" Sasha said shaking, "there was so much blood...it was so real!"  
Sasha started bawling. Nall opened his arms with a warm smile and she jumped into them. He hugged her and put her on his lap. It was adorable. For that moment, he looked like a true big brother. I wondered if he would do the same for me.  
"It's okay. It was just a dream. So don't worry too much about it. But if you ever have that dream again, just come to me and I'll...take you to a friend of mine."  
"Who's your friend?"  
"He's the guardian of Taben's Peak. He lives on top of Taben's Peak and is really big and powerful. But he's friendly. If you like me...you'll like him. If you ever get scared, he'll be there. That's his job. To help me protect Taben's Peak and everyone here."  
She sniffled and smiled at him.  
"Just knowing you and your friend are around and that you'll protect us makes me feel a lot better. Thanks!"  
Sasha dried her eyes and walked out. I flew over to him as he sat on his chair.  
"What's up?" he asked when I sat on his armrest.  
"Nothing...it's just that...I was sorta in awe. You actually looked like a big brother..."  
He smiled.  
"That's my job. And if you're going to live here...will you be their big sister?"  
I was dumbfounded by his question. What kind of question was that?  
"It'll be like...starting over. You can begin to forget about Hiro..."  
His comment hit me like an arrow. I was furious that he had said that so I torched him. He coughed and rubbed the soot of his face. I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself but it wasn't working.  
"What do you mean 'forget about Hiro'!!" I exclaimed.  
"I didn't mean it like that! What I meant was-"  
I torched him again. Just when I thought Nall was finally NOT being a jerk, he says something stupid like that! He lowered his head shamefully.  
"I'm sorry..." he mumbled. Then he frowned and raised his head as well as his voice, "but you have to forget that Hiro left you or you'll be miserable forever!"  
"But you said he's coming back! Why would I forget about him if he's coming back! Did you lie to me!? What a jerk!"  
"I wasn't lying to you! All I was saying is that you should try to start over! Be the kids' big sister and help them with THEIR problems instead of soaking in your own! It'll make you feel better. But, you're too busy being selfish and immature!" he yelled.  
"I'LL SHOW YOU!!!"  
I torched him one last time and darted out. My blood was boiling and my eyes were filled with tears as I left Taben's Peak. I decided to go see a TRUE friend so I changed to my adult form and flew to Raculi, to see Ronfar. He was the closest friend I had since Hiro left so that's who I went to see. At Raculi, I landed outside the village and turned back to my baby form. I flew to Ronfar and Mauri's house and scratched on the door. Once it open, I wrapped my paws around the face of the one who opened it. Luckily, it was who I was visiting in the first place.  
"Rrrrrr!!" Ronfar yelled, flailing his arms.  
I let go and looked at him. He wasn't wearing his priest outfit. Instead, he was wearing a tan tank top and white capris. He was gasping for breath.  
"What the hell was that Red!! Why are you here anyway?"  
"I need someone to talk to! Nall's being a jerk!"  
"So you came to me? I'm flattered. Well, sit back and tell me the story, pretty kitty! I'll be glad to help you with your little lover's quarrel."  
I curled up on his sofa, ignored his "lover's quarrel" joke, and began to tell him what happened. Finally, I came to the end of my story.  
"How dare he say that!? He's the one being selfish!" I yelled.  
"Was he?" Ronfar said, coming in with a bowl of tea.  
"Hey! You can't answer my question with a-"  
That's when I actually took in what he had said.  
'Was he being selfish?' I suddenly thought as he sat the bowl infront of me, 'well...he WAS trying to be nice. He was trying to make me feel better...but it came out wrong...'  
"Well..." I mumbled.  
"Sounds like he was trying to comfort you. If you had let him finish talking before you erupted in anger, you might have heard what he was trying to say."  
"I guess you're right..." I said before lapping up some tea.  
"Nall really cares about you, whether he admits it or not. And even though he's over 1000 years old, he isn't exactly a social person which makes him...sorta like a child. I mean, he probably hasn't spoken to an adult for a while before us. And, children can never say what they want to say right away. Especially not a boy...So give him some time to say what he wants because he just doesn't know how to put it. You understand?"  
"That doesn't give him the right to tell me to forget about Hiro!"  
"But that's not what he meant," a soft female voice said.  
We turned to the door and saw Mauri standing there. Ronfar waved heartily as she came and sat on the sofa as well.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to easedrop. I just couldn't help but overhear though."  
"That's okay sweety," Ronfar said, "we could use a female voice in our little debate."  
She nodded and continued speaking about the subject at hand.  
"I'm pretty sure he tried to explain what he said, but did you let him?"  
I shook my head.  
"Did you hear anything he said, other than that?"  
"Yeah. He said he wanted me to let go of my problems so I could help the kids with theirs. That it would help me feel better..."  
"See!" she said cheerfully, "he was just trying to help you."  
"So go back and appologize. Don't let HIM always be the one that appologize because it gets annoying after awhile...and he'll appreciate you're appology. It'll show him that you aren't so immature afterall!" Ronfar said giving sideward glances to Mauri.  
Mauri glared at him.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I was just trying to help Ruby...I'm sorry if I offended you Mauri."  
She smiled and gave him a hug.  
"You didn't have to appologize!"  
I laughed when he silently mouthed to me, "Yes I did," and, "See what I mean?". After finishing my tea and talking for awhile, a LONG while, I left and went back to Taben's Peak. When I got there, it was late at night. I quietly went into Nall's room to appologize. His room was completely dark.  
"Nall..." I whispered.  
"Nall!" I said a little louder.  
Finally, I concluded he wasn't in there. So I flew out to the playground, which was also pitch black, but no one was there. That's when I remembered his story to Sasha. So I decided to check the roof. There he was, in his adult form, curled up so I presumed he was asleep.  
"Hey Nall...I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I went to Ronfar's and he explained to me that you weren't being ignorant at all! So, I'm sorry."  
"I could have told you that a while ago..." he growled, "and what was telling me when I was asleep supposed to do?"  
I gasped as he lifted his head to look at me. He narrowed his eyes at me for a second as I landed on the ledge.  
"Oh...well...I'm sorry."  
"Ditto..."  
'Ditto? Does that mean he's sorry too? Oh well...hey! His eyes aren't glowing! They must only glow when light is shined on them...like a cat or dog...'  
"What are you doing up here anyway?"  
He blinked then bowed his head, still keeping his eyes on me. Then, he swiftly nodded toward his side. Confused, I flew over and saw his tail wrapped around something.  
"You lay an egg or something?"  
"N-no" he said in a disturbed tone, "...here let me move my tail..."  
When he moved it, I saw Sasha. She was sleeping on his fur very peacefully. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile as he put his tail back on her when she shivered.  
"What's she doing here?"  
"She had her dream again and wanted me to take her to 'my friend'...so that's what I did. She doesn't know 'the big furry white bird', that's what they think I am, and her big brother are one in the same. Sasha wanted to stay up here with me so that's what I did. I was waiting until she was in a deep enough sleep to bring her back down."  
I sighed.  
"So Ruby, will you start over...with us? With me?"  
"You mean help you take care of the kids?"  
He nodded.  
"Okay. That means I'll be starting over then, right?"  
He nodded again.  
"First thing you can do is make sure none of the other kids need me. If they do, come tell me."  
I smiled and flew down to check on the kids. It had just now became obvious to me that Nall needed help with these little hellraisers. That was my new job. To help Nall with the Dragon Kids. No more adventures. No more tomb raiding. It was like settling down and becoming a stay-at-home mother. With how these kids here acted, it's not like it wouldn't be fun. But, something about the way Nall asked me to take care of the kids made me think: was he trying to help me, the kids, or himself?  
  
Note: Wow, long chapter to start us off...I hope they weren't too OOC...I hate when I do that. If they were, let me know and I'll try to work on it in the next chapter. Ja ne!! 


	2. A New Form

Fire  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: This is the second chapter and stuff. Yeah...  
  
Chapter 2: A New Form  
  
Five years had passed since Hiro left for the Blue Star. Every now and then, we had visits from Ronfar, Mauri, Lemina, Ramus, Jean, and Leo. None of them really changed. Lemina and Ramus got married and Ronfar and Mauri had a child named Inoru, but, those were the only big changes, other than appearances. But still no Hiro. That was, until one day while I was sitting on the roof of Taben's Peak when the Star Dragon, Hoshi, had appeared before me.  
"WAAH!" I screamed when the giant, green, spiked Dragon appeared.  
"No need to be afraid Red Dragon. It's just me, Hoshi."  
I blinked and calmed down. When I took a good look at the ancient Dragon, I noticed he was bigger than Nall. The first time I saw him, I wasn't really paying attention. I was watching Hiro and too worried about him going to the Blue Star and leaving me alone. So, I looked at the flooring beneath Hoshi and it looked kinda bent.  
"You scared me! And what you NEED to do, is change into a smaller form so you don't break the freaking roof!"  
He laughed and changed into a human form. His human form was a tall, muscular man wearing green, crystal-like armor. He had long lime green hair and menacing, yet friendly, green eyes.  
"Are you happy now? Anyway, I was sent by Hiro-"  
"Hiro!?" I exclaimed, "what did he say?!"  
"Yes..." he said, "he sent me to tell his friends that him and Lucia will return tonight for a visit-"  
I squealed in delight when he told me. Hoshi narrowed his eyes at me.  
"I only know of you and Nall so you have to tell his other friends. He said to meet him at the Magic Guild. Have a nice day..."  
Hoshi disappeared. As soon as he was gone, I squealed again, darted into Nall's room and latched myself onto his arm with my claws, causing him to yelp in shock. I had never been so happy in my entire life.  
"HIRO'S COMING BACK!!!" I screamed, looking up at him.  
He growled, grabbed me by my wings, and took me off of his arm, wincing as my claws ripped through his skin. I was confused because he looked sorta mad.  
"Sure he is...and so is Alex," he said sarcastically.  
I knew what he meant by that. Alex was never coming back, and that's what he was implying about Hiro. In other words, he didn't believe that Hiro was coming back and felt that he was dead to us. Even though he had said he was sure Hiro would return five years ago, Nall changed his mind after three long years. He tried to be happy, for my sake, but I knew that he didn't believe that anymore. I couldn't blame him, but I did. I smiled at him, despite the fact he didn't share my enthusiasm. My dreams were finally coming true!  
"Hoshi just told me that Hiro...a-and Lucia...were coming to visit!"  
He looked me over, still sceptical.  
"This wasn't a dream?"  
"No!!"  
He smiled and let me go. I cheerfully flew in circles around him.  
"Good. I'm glad..." he said.  
I flew out to tell the kids my wonderful, happy news. They were so glad to hear that two of their rolemodels were coming over. The only one who was not-so-happy about the situation was Nall. Then, an idea suddenly popped into my head. I flew back into Nall's room. He was sitting on his chair with his eyes closed, obviously thinking about something, when I came in and sat on the armrest. But he didn't notice me.  
'He's gotten so serious all of a sudden. I wonder why...well, I guess I'll have to get him out of his little train of thought!' I thought as I stared up at him.  
I opened my mouth and shot a stream of fire at his face. It definately got him to pay attention. He jumped up and let out a cry of pain as I took him by surprise. He glared at me.  
"Whaddaya want!!" he snapped.  
"I wanted to ask you a question you jerk!"  
He folded his arms over his chest and continued his glare.  
"What?"  
"Can you show me how to change into a human?" I asked, "I want to show Hiro that I can be as pretty as Lucia!"  
Nall turned away and closed his eyes again, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought of a reply. I heard him grumble something about "it'll make her happy" but the rest was inaudible. I put my paws on his shoulders and shook him.  
"Pretty please!?" I pleaded.  
Finally, he sighed and looked at me again.  
"Alright. I'll show you how. But I hope you know, that WON'T make him leave Lucia for you so you can stop daydreaming about that now."  
'Even when he's being nice he's being a jerk!!' I thought.  
But I decided against burning him this time and, celebrated instead. I gave him a small lick on his cheek, making him blush.  
"Thank you Nall! You're the best!"  
He smiled and stood up.  
"You're welcome. I'll go get Jean and Lemina. They're girls so they can help you go shopping and stuff...for stuff... Take care of the kids. I'll be gone for a bit."  
Nall teleported and was gone. So I went to the kids, who was still in the kitchen celebrating.  
"So, what do you guys like so much about Hiro anyway?" I asked them.  
"Because he's a hero!" one exclaimed.  
"He's dreamy..." a little girl sighed.  
Several dreamy little sighs followed in agreement.  
"He's cool!"  
"Hiro's the only one that could EVER be any match for Nall!" a boy said.  
"He might even be able to beat Nall in a sword fight!"  
"What?" I asked.  
Of course I knew that Hiro could never beat Nall. Nall was a Dragon for one. And two, Nall had over ten centuries of fighting experience while Hiro only had about six years. Before that he always used a boomerang.  
"Yeah, Nall's a little jealous of Hiro too. But that's all I could get out of him. He wouldn't tell me why though."  
The little boy's comment shocked me.  
'Nall jealous of Hiro? But why?' I thought.  
This was something I couldn't even fathom, although it made sense. Why else would Nall be so cheerful after Hiro left? But, I still couldn't understand why. Suddenly, Nall appeared in the middle of the children circle with Jean and Lemina. But with them were several extras, Ronfar, Mauri, Inoru, and Leo. He didn't say he was going to Raculi to get them too.  
"I'm back!" he said, "okay , Jean, Lemina, and Mauri are going shopping with you in Meribia. Me, Ronfar, and Leo will get things ready here."  
I nodded, still in shock from the boy's comment. Inoru tugged on Ronfar's shirt.  
"Yes?"  
"Can I go play with the Dragon Kids?" Inoru asked.  
Ronfar smiled and nodded. Inoru ran to play with the Dragon Kids. He was about 3 years old and looked a lot like Ronfar with long, blue hair and a horn. He wore a white T-shirt, tan capris, and a red bandana around his head. Anyway, that's when, Jean snatched me up from my hovering position and carried me out.  
"We're borrowing the Dragonship Destiny, okay Leo?"  
"W-what? Do you even know how to drive it?!"  
"Of course!" Lemina said waving him off with her hand.  
"T-take care of my baby!" I heard him call out.  
We got on the Destiny and immediately set off for Meribia, with Jean steering. Meribia was the best place in all of Lunar to go shopping at. I was on the deck, watching the passing landscapes, when Lemina came up behind me. She tapped me and stood beside me.  
"Oh...hey Lemina..."  
"What's up? You sound mega-bummed...I thought you would be happy about Hiro coming back and getting a human form."  
"I was just thinking about something..."  
"Hey, you're actually being quiet!" Lemina teased.  
"Oh, shut up."  
"Whatcha thinking about anyway?"  
"Well, I want to know whether I will look like a little kid or not...and I wanna know why Nall would be jealous of Hiro...and I wanna know if Hiro still cares about me..."  
Lemina cupped her chin with her hand in thought. Then, after about ten seconds, she smiled at me.  
"I don't know whether you'll look like a kid or not...I know why Nall's jealous of Hiro but I think you should figure it out yourself, it's more fun that way....and of course Hiro still cares about you! If he didn't, why would he be coming back?"  
I frowned for a second, then smiled.  
"Thanks...for answering one out of three..."  
"Welcome! But...I'm sure you'll make a beautiful human!"  
The Destiny came to a sudden hault throwing me and Lemina to the floor. Mauri came up from below, really confused and disfigured. Her hair was messy showing that she was probably brushing it when the ship came to a sudden hault.  
"What's going on!?" she exclaimed as we got up.  
"We're here!" Jean said.  
We glared at the emerald-haired dancer/ninja as she laughed.  
"Sorry about the bumpy stop but I couldn't find the breaks! I almost crashed into Meribia! Ha ha!" she laughed. Then she saw we weren't laughing with her, "ha...ahem! Anyway, we're here so let's go."  
I landed on Lemina's shoulder as we all got out and went into the Meribian marketplace. The girls squealed as they saw various dresses that appealed to them. I, on the other hand, remained quiet for once.  
'I don't even know if I'll look like a woman or a kid. How am I supposed to shop for clothes if I don't know my size?' I thought.  
But, Jean interrupted my train of thought and she poked me.  
"How big will you be?" Jean asked me.  
"That's the problem, we don't know," Lemina answered for me.  
"Well, to solve that, we could just buy her clothes for a child and for an adult and when she changes, just put her in the ones that fit..." Mauri said.  
We looked at her. She blushed and looked down, to avoid our stares.  
"That's a mega-cool idea Mauri!!"  
"You always know how to solve things!" I said happily, "so...should we look at the children's clothes or the women's clothes first?"  
"I say we look in the women's. I have some stuff I wanna get too you know!" Lemina said.  
"Okay then, women's it is!"  
So we went into the women's section. It had a lot of pretty clothes and I wanted them all. But, they said I had to start off with only one outfit. While Lemina and Jean were looking through a rack of pants, I saw a really pretty dress. It was one of those traditional dresses from a long time ago in a place called China on the Blue Star. A red cheongsam with silver dragons on it (they reminded me of Nall). It was short with two splits on the sides. It was beautiful. I flew over to it, grabbed it off the rack with my teeth, and struggled to fly it to Jean and Lemina to show them.  
"Jean! Lemina!" I screamed with the hanger in my mouth.  
They turned around and took the dress from me to relieve the stress. Jean and Lemina examined it.  
"This is pretty!" Jean said.  
"Yeah! I want it!" I exclaimed.  
"Okeydokey. Now we have to find you panties and a bra..."  
"What's a bra?" I asked.  
"It's something very important to women...supposing you will be a women..."  
Mauri came back with a pink bra and panties, as if on que.  
"I think these would look cute on her. Especially if she has pink or red hair..."  
We stared at her again, making her turn away.  
"Well...that saved some time, thanks Mauri! Now let's get to the children's clothes and choose something out of there."  
This was the part I dreaded. I didn't want to even think that I would look like a kid. Hiro wouldn't think I was beautiful then. He would think of me as some little brat! I didn't want to imagine how I would look. Scrawny, ugly, just plain blah! Not to mention, Nall would treat me like a kid forever and ever. When we got to the kids part, I hurried and picked out blue, jean shorts and a red belly shirt.  
"Why pick so fast Ruby?" Jean asked me.  
"I don't want to think that I'll look like a kid..."  
"Oh...well, even so I'm sure you'd make a cute kid!"  
We paid for the articles of clothing, plus some extra things like makeup, wands, and other clothes for them, and went back to the Destiny. There, Jean hurriedly drove us back to Taben's Peak, knocking down and bumping into several rocks and trees on the way. We took the gondola back up to Nall's hideout and went into the room of one of the Dragon Kids.  
"Ronfar, sweety! I missed you!" Mauri said.  
"I missed you too sugarpie..."  
Mauri hugged Ronfar in a greeting while Leo jokingly made a whipping motion and noise behind his back. While they laughed, I looked at the floor. There was a circle with a star in the middle of it. ((A/N: Basically, the Dragons in my stories ALWAYS use the star to change into their human form))  
"Um...could we get down to business?" Nall asked.  
The laughter died down. Nall smiled at me and pointed to the star.  
"Okay...Ruby, sit right here...in the middle of the star."  
I did as I was told and landed where he was pointing. He grabbed a robe and put it around me.  
"Put your arms in the sleeves..."  
"What's this for?"  
"Uh...anyway...now close your eyes and concentrate on being a human..."  
"Why'd you change the subject?" I asked in skeptism.  
"It won't hurt...and I have some fish for you after you change!" he said, avoiding my question again.  
But at the time, I was too distracted by the word fish to really pay any mind to him changing the subject again. Nall grinned at me and sat beside me.  
"I'll be here...so just concentrate..."  
I nodded and closed my eyes. Right before I closed my eyes, I could've swore I saw Nall's face turn a hint of pink. I pushed that out of my mind and began to think of a human form.  
'I want a human form. But not just any human form...I want to be pretty. I want to look like an adult! Not a little kid! I want legs, skin, arms...and all that stuff...' I thought.  
I imagined what my human form would look like as everyone was quiet around me. Short red hair, tanned skin, big red eyes, pretty, and a woman. Younger than Nall but older than 15. Suddenly, I could feel the bones in my body rearranging. It didn't hurt. It actually felt kinda nice. I felt myself become taller and the robe that hung on me as a baby Dragon began to fit more. I was still in a sitting position, but I could tell I was further off the ground. I felt cool air hit me. My fur wasn't there to shield me from it. When I finally stopped changing, I knew that I had my human form. When I opened my eyes, my first thought was to thank Nall. So that's what I did. I looked at him, who was still sitting beside me, and flung my arms around his neck.  
"Wah!"  
"I'm human!! Thank you!!"  
"Uh..."  
"Oh! Thank you so much!"  
"Um..."  
"This is so wonderful!! Thank you Nall! Thank you!!"  
I looked up at him confused. He was as red as a tomato, his eyes were closed tightly, and he had stopped breathing. All of a sudden, he turned into his baby form in a puff of smoke and darted out of the room. I heard a door slam. That's when I finally I thought to look down at myself. When I looked down, I saw why Nall was blushing so deeply. The robe I had on partially covered my body. I yelped and pulled it around me tighter, covering myself completely. I glared at Ronfar and Leo. Leo, like Nall, had his eyes closed but Ronfar was staring contently at me, a goofy grin printed on his face.  
"Mauri!! Get your husband!!" I screamed.  
Mauri, Lemina, and Jean looked at Ronfar and growled at him. While Mauri grabbed, scolded, and threw him out, Lemina and Jean led Leo out. I sighed. I still felt so embarassed.  
'I should have looked at myself BEFORE hugging Nall. Now he'll think I'm some kind of a idiot!'  
"Hey Ruby, let's get some clothes on you girl!" Jean laughed.  
  
Note: Heh heh heh...funny. Anyway, read and review! Let me know how I did on this chapter, 'kay? Remember, don't flame me or I'll be very ticked off. But...I would like for you to give me a contructive review. You know, a little more than "This is a great story, continue". Although, those are very apprieciated, all that really does is inflate my ego...ya know? 


	3. Hiro's Return

Fire  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue

Note: I'll put spaces between my paragraphs for ya Karana Belle! And I'll try to do that now on. 'Kay?  
  
Chapter 3: Hiro's ReturnAfter some time and struggle, Jean, Mauri, and Lemina had finally got the clothes on me. It was actually rather difficult because I didn't really know how to put it on. But, when the dress was on, I decided it was time for me to look at myself in the mirror. I nervously walked over to the glass that would show me my destiny; whether I'd be alone forever or have millions of guys swooning over me. When I saw myself in the mirror, I was amazed by my appearance. I looked around 17, which was about 2 years younger than how Nall looked and 6 years younger than Hiro. I had long reddish pink hair that flowed down past my shoulders to my lower back and red eyes. My skin was actually sort of pale but I guessed that that was because my fur hid my skin from the sun. The dress fit me perfectly, every curve of my new body seemed to be shown off by it. The slits on the sides went up to my upper thighs and the dress came down to my knees. I gasped.  
  
"I-I'm beautiful!!" I stuttered.  
  
"I told you you'd be a beautiful human!"  
  
"Wait 'til Hiro sees me!!" I exclaimed.  
  
"Is that the REAL reason why you wanted a human form?" Jean asked, "to show HIRO you could be beautiful?"  
  
I turned around and looked at Jean. Her eyebrows were raised suggestively and her expression asked for me to think about what she said.  
  
'Am I doing this for Hiro? Of course! Or...am I doing this for...him...' I thought.  
  
"Go show Nall how you look," Jean said with a smirk.  
  
"Yeah, he was gentlemen enough to close his eyes when you didn't have clothes on...so I'm sure he didn't get a good look at you," Lemina said, "and I know he wants to see how you look!"  
  
"He's a pretty decent person for a thief..." Mauri commented.  
  
I nodded and walked out. But the problem was to find out where he had ran off to. It was early afternoon and, around this time, he would be fixing lunch for the kids. So I checked the kitchen. The kids, and Inoru, said they were already fed and complemented me on my human appearance. So, I checked the halls. Ronfar and Leo said that Nall was in his room, and they also complemented me. After thanking them, and hitting Ronfar for his pervertedness, I went to Nall's room. His door was closed.  
  
"Nall!" I yelled.  
  
"Do you have clothes on?" he yelled from inside.  
  
I fumed and turned red from anger and embarassment.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
There was a few noises from inside, showing that he was coming to open the door.  
  
"Good! Because that's not something the kids should see yet!" he scoffed from behind the door.  
  
As the doorknob turned, I held my breath. For some reason, I was really nervous about what Nall thought of my appearance. I heard Nall sigh when he finally opened the door. He stood before me in his human form. Slowly, I looked up at him. He was staring down at me in awe with his jaw dropped.  
  
"Y-you..."  
  
"What? You don't think I'm pretty do you?" I said sadly as my eyes welled up with tears.  
  
"No! I mean...yes...I mean! No? N-no! I meant yes!" he stuttered, blushing madly.  
  
His nervousness made me giggle. Just seeing him like that made my heart full of joy. He looked away from me. Finally, he regained himself and smiled sheepishly.  
  
"No, you look ugly...of course I think you're pretty! And the dragons on that dress look a little like me," he said laughing and using his gloved hand to wipe the tears from my eyes. Suddenly, his voice took on a more grave tone as he held his hand on my cheek for a moment, "this is what you wanted...I hope you get the results with Hiro that you wished for. But, like I said before, don't expect him to leave Lucia for you...Love isn't always about looks."  
  
I almost completely forgot about Hiro returning. At the moment, Nall's opinion was all that mattered. And, despite his comment after his complement, I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I laid my head on his chest and sighed. I could hear and feel his heart. It was beating really fast, probably because he was as nervous as me. Why would he be nervous? I dunno, but that's the only time someone's heart beats so fast other than when they're angry. And I know he wasn't angry.  
  
"Thank you Nall..." I whispered, "...thanks for helping me..."  
  
"You know I'd do anything for yo-I mean-a friend...now, I have to do something..."  
  
Nall grabbed my arms and pushed me away. For a moment, we just stared at each other. I could have swore I saw him leaning in, like he was about to kiss me. So I prepared myself. Whether it was to stop him or kiss him back, I would be prepared. But instead, he let go of me and went back in his room.  
  
'Why did I expect him to kiss me? That was dumb of me! He would NEVER kiss me! But the question is...did I WANT him to kiss me?' I thought as his door shut.  
  
I shook my head and walked away. Later, around early evening, we (which was Ronfar, Mauri, Jean, Leo, Lemina, and myself) were in the front hall of the Magic Guild, awaiting Hiro and Lucia's visit. We were actually silent for the first time in a while. Nall, well, he was still at Taben's Peak. He said he going watch over the Dragon Kids and Inoru. My thoughts wandered to him every now and then. I wondered why he would possibly want to stay at Taben's Peak instead of greet Hiro and Lucia. But then I forgot about him and thought about Hiro. I looked around and saw that everyone was doing there own thing. Ronfar, Leo, and Mauri were in a corner, whispering quietly about something inaudible to me; Lemina was reading a book; and Jean was practicing a few dance moves.  
  
"Do you guys think he's really coming back?" I asked, loud enough for anyone to hear me.  
  
Lemina looked up from her book and smiled.  
  
"The Star Dragon doesn't seem like the type to play a practical joke or lie...you know?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"So he's probably just late."  
  
I sighed and looked at my feet. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The whole room stood up as I scrambled for the door. I threw the door open and there he was...with her...but that didn't matter. Hiro stood before me with his usual bright smile. He looked exactly the same. Nothing changed. All I could do was stare up at him in wonder.  
  
"Hey everyone!"  
  
"Hello..." Lucia said softly.  
  
"Hiro!" I exclaimed.  
  
At the time, that was all I could manage to say. He looked down at me with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"You look so familiar! I can't place it."  
  
I could tell he was confused as to my identity by the way he was looking at me.  
  
"It's me Hiro! Ruby!"  
  
"Ruby? Wow! You look wonderful!"  
  
"Do you really like?" I asked, blushing slightly.  
  
"Of course! You make a beautiful human!"  
  
I jumped on him and embraced him tightly. He laughed and spun me around, like a father would do his daughter after he hadn't seen her for a while. After letting us have our moment, the others finally came over to greet him.  
  
"Hey chief! Hey Lucia!" Ronfar said, "it's been awhile!"  
  
"It has," Lucia said.  
  
"Too long if you ask me!" Jean said, "Lucia, want me to show you how to dance now?"  
  
"Uh...I would love that..."  
  
"And now that you're back, you HAVE to join the Magic Guild!"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
Jean and Lemina took Lucia away, talking about all the stuff they wanted her to do.  
  
"It's great to have you back," Leo said, taking Hiro's hand into his own and grasping it firmly, "how long will you be here?"  
  
"A few weeks...maybe months..."  
  
"How's the Blue Star?" Mauri asked.  
  
"It's looking better each day!"  
  
I grabbed Hiro's arm and leaned into him.  
  
"Hiro, you and Lucia have to go to Taben's Peak! The kids are dying to see you two!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Mm-hm!"  
  
"Well...we were planning on going there anyway. I have something to give Nall."  
  
"And nothing for me?" Ronfar asked, putting on a fake pout.  
  
"Actually, I was giving him back his sword...but, I do have something for you Ruby!"  
  
I gasped and clapped joyfully as he began to dig in a bag on his side.  
  
"And nothing for me?" Ronfar repeated.  
  
"Ronfar!" Mauri snapped.  
  
"I was just kidding Mauri...I was kidding!"  
  
Hiro laughed and took out a necklace with a huge ruby amulet strung on a golden chain. I gasped again and stuttered as he reached behind my neck and put it on for me.  
  
"It's 24kt gold and a real ruby! And, it's an artifact I found while I was walking around the Blue Star. I thought you would like it seeing as though you and I used to go on archaeological digs all the time. Not to mention it's a ruby and that's your name..."  
  
I lifted it up off of my chest and looked at it. It was beautiful.  
  
"H-Hiro this is beautiful!"  
  
"Just like you!" he said with a laugh.  
  
I blushed and laughed along with him. His laugh made me remonise about days of old.  
  
"Well, I say we get Lemina, Jean, and Lucia and head on over to Taben's Peak. I have to retrieve my kid before he gets all the girls to fall in love with him!"  
  
"You have a kid!?" Hiro exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah! Wait 'til ya see 'im!" Ronfar said with a smirk, "oh, ladies! We're heading out!"  
  
Jean, Lemina, and Lucia came back in the room. Lucia had be given a mini makeover while we were talking. She had makeup on, her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and they put a blue dress on her. Hiro laughed and took Lucia into his arms.  
  
"You look beautiful sweetie!"  
  
"Thank you Hiro...they said that makedown-"  
  
"Uh...it's makeup..."  
  
"Oh...makeup...will enhance my beauty...am I really that pretty?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
My heart felt heavy suddenly.  
  
'Nall was right. As soon as Lucia came in the room, I was nothing to Hiro. My human form had no impact on Hiro whatsoever! But then, I was sorta dumb for dreaming that Hiro would suddenly dump his first love for little old me. No matter what he said, I was still that little flying-cat to him...The necklace was nice though...'  
  
I forced a smile on my face as we walked out of the Magic Guild and hiked our way to Taben's Peak. It wasn't a long walk so we didn't use the Destiny. We reached Taben's Peak and took the gondola up to the top. Everything was quiet, so I suspected that the kids were asleep.  
  
"Where's Nall?" Hiro asked.  
  
"I'm not sure...I'll check his room. That's usually where he is..."  
  
I ran to Nall's room and bumped into him as he was walking out. He was holding Sasha's hand, leading her out of the room.  
  
"Hey Ruby."  
  
"Ruby?!" Sasha exclaimed, "wow! You look really pretty!"  
  
"Thanks Sasha. Are you going to see Taben's Peak's guardian again?"  
  
"Yeah. I had my nightmare again..."  
  
"Now remember, I have to go tell him that you want to see him and you can't come out until he says so. Okay?"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Nall walked out to the playground, leaving me with Sasha. She looked up at me.  
  
"How long have you been having these nightmares?"  
  
"Awhile...sometimes my dreams are premonitions...that's why I always want to see the Guardian..."  
  
I blinked. Suddenly, there was a roar from outside. Sasha smiled and ran out to the playground. So, I decided that now would be the time to tell Hiro that I found Nall. I went back to the room where Hiro and the others were.  
  
"Nall's out on the playground. You want to see him now?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
I took Hiro out to the playground and led him up to the roof.  
  
"Remember, Nall is with one of the Dragon Kids, Sasha, in his Dragon form. Sasha doesn't know that the Dragon is Nall, 'kay?"  
  
He nodded. We reached the roof and Nall was there speaking to Sasha. Sasha lept up when she saw Hiro and ran over to him.  
  
"Hiro!"  
  
She hugged him. Nall looked at Hiro and scoffed under his breath, then laid his head on his paws in a disappointed way. I watched Nall for a while. I saw the sadness in his eyes as he watched Sasha go to Hiro. Was this why Nall was jealous of Hiro?  
  
"Hi Hiro! It's great to see you again! Did you bring Miss Lucia back?"  
  
"You bet!"  
  
"Yay! I'll go ask her to sing to me! Maybe that will make me feel a little better too! Bye Hiro! Bye Ruby! Bye Mr. Guardian! Thank you!"  
  
Nall lifted his head to look at her and bowed his head. She climbed down and went inside. Hiro cleared his throat to get Nall's attention as he plopped his head back on his paws. Nall sent several sideward glares at him.  
  
"How've you been Nall?"  
  
"Fine..." he growled.  
  
"Thanks for taking care of Ruby, she's really grown up..."  
  
"Welcome..."  
  
"Oh yeah! I brought back Althena's sword. I know it meant a lot to you, so I decided to return it!"  
  
Hiro sat the sword by Nall, but he just slid the sword infront of him and stared at it, all while keeping his head on his paws. I just stood back and watched. Nall was being unusually cold today and I had to find out why.  
  
"Thanks...now, I want to be alone..."  
  
"Sure. Okay."  
  
Hiro went inside but I stayed there. I walked over to Nall's face and poked him in the nose. He looked at me confused.  
  
"Don't you want to go back down there with Hiro?"  
  
"I will...as soon as you answer a question..."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Are you jealous of Hiro?"  
  
Nall changed to his human form and picked up his sword. He laid on his back, holding the sword up so he could look at it. I sat beside him and looked him straight in the eyes. I noticed they weren't glowing tonight.  
  
'Hm...maybe his eyes only glow when the Blue Star is full or something...' I thought, 'bleh..that doesn't matter right now...man my thoughts flip quickly...maybe I have ADD...'  
  
"I guess I am..." he mumbled.  
  
"Why?" I said in shock when his statement interrupted my thoughts.  
  
'He actually admitted to being jealous of Hiro!? This must be seriously hurting him inside for him to just go out and tell me like that!' I thought.  
  
"Why would you be jealous of Hiro?"  
  
"...A lot of reasons..."  
  
"Like?!" I snapped, getting frustrated with his less-than-10-word sentences.  
  
"The kids...they love him...every time he comes to visit it's like they don't even care that I'm here..."  
  
"Of course they care-"  
  
He sighed, interrupting my sentence, and sat the sword down on his chest, the blade barely touching his nose.  
  
"When I think about it...everyone loves him...the world, the kids, you...all because he's a hero. But, without me, he wouldn't be the hero he is today. But no one cares about that...as the Dragon of Althena, I should already know that I wouldn't get any credit for what I've done to help the world's hero but...it would still be nice to be acknowledged..."  
  
I stared at him as he closed his eyes and laughed sadly. At that very moment, I just wanted to take him into my arms like he was a child. But I knew better than that.  
  
"Not to mention, he's a better person than I'll ever be...I guess that's why everyone loves him..."  
  
"Nall...don't say that..." I whispered running my fingers through his hair, "you're a wonderful person..."  
  
He scoffed and turned over, making me withdraw my hand momentarily. Then I put my hand on his shoulder.  
  
"If I'm such a wonderful person...how come no one-"  
  
"Loves you?"  
  
"Exact-"  
  
He paused for a second then sat up. Then he looked at me and shook his head slowly.  
  
"You know what, don't worry about it..." he mumbled as he stood up, "I'm going for a fly, take care of the kids...and remember to have fun..."  
  
With that, he jumped off of the roof and transformed into a Dragon before he hit the ground below. I watched as he took flight and flew off into the starry night. Although he told me not to worry about him, I couldn't help it. He seemed so upset and I hated it when people were upset. But, I had to take care of the kids so I didn't follow. I just sighed and went back inside like he told me to. Later that night, a lot later, me and Hiro were alone on the front balcony talking about old times and Nall hadn't returned yet. Everyone else had went into one of the kids' rooms to sleep. I leaned on the ledge with Hiro by my side.  
  
"We should go on another adventure together!" Hiro said happily, "I know there are still some caves here on Lunar that have yet to be explored!"  
  
When I was about to reply with an excited, "yes", I thought about what Nall was saying to me earlier.  
  
"I dunno...I would love to go but..."  
  
"Nall?" Hiro asked.  
  
"Yeah...he was really upset today. He's jealous of you ya know."  
  
Hiro nodded slowly.  
  
"I kinda figured that..."  
  
"It's not like he hates you though. I think he admires you a lot but...he just feels...oh, I dunno. Anyway, if I go he might feel a little unwanted. He already feels that way with the kids..."  
  
"The kids love him! All they ever talk about with me is 'Nall showed me this' or 'Nall did this'. You know?"  
  
I sighed and rested my chin on my hand, my elbow propping me up.  
  
"I know that...but he doesn't. I'm really worried about him..."  
  
Hiro chuckled, causing me to look at him.  
  
"Why are you laughing?!" I yelled.  
  
"Nothing. It's just that you are caring about Nall. It's cute."  
  
I raised an eyebrow and placed my hands on my hips, confused and frustrated at the same time.  
  
"Of course I'm caring about him! He IS my friend...and he DID take care of me while you were gone. Even though, I didn't need his dumb help."  
  
He smiled at me.  
  
"Well...remember to think about my offer. It'll be just you and me, like old times...I'm sure Nall would understand. G'night."  
  
After a quick hug, he went inside to sleep in one of the kid's rooms. I sighed and stayed out for awhile, staring up at the night sky and waiting to see if Nall would come home. I wanted to talk to him about earlier. Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the tall trees around the sides of Taben's Peak. I looked at the area the noise came from as my whole body tensed up in fear.  
  
'Oh no...if this is a monster, I don't have anything to protect myself and no one's awake to protect me!'  
  
"Who's there?!" I yelled.  
  
"Hah! That's a dumb thing to ask. Now, if I was a monster or someone really trying to kill you...would I really just tell you who or what I was?" a voice said sarcastically.  
  
I relaxed, recognising the voice, and went over to the trees.  
  
"You know that's just an instinctive question! Now come out, Nall!" I said looking through the leaves and branches.  
  
"I don't think I want to..." I heard him say.  
  
"Don't be so juvenile!"  
  
I climbed into the tree, still in search of him. I found him sitting on a branch with his back against the tree trunk and his hands behind his head. He stared at me.  
  
"Why are you in this tree?" I asked, sitting infront of him.  
  
"Keeping watch...and listening to you and Hiro talk..."  
  
"It's not polite to eavesdrop!"  
  
"I'm not polite..." he said with a smirk.  
  
"Don't play with me. Do you know how hard it is to look, climb, and sit in a tree with a dress on?!"  
  
"Then shoo...go with Hiro..."  
  
I blinked. I couldn't tell if he was mad or not. Nall wasn't an easy Dragonboy to read. Unlike Hiro, he doesn't say what he wants and what he means straight out. He usually says it in some kind of a riddle, just to annoy me.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You can go on adventures with Hiro while he's here," he said, "I don't mind. Besides, I want you to have fun and be happy. Don't stay here just because you don't want me to be sad. It's not like I want you to feel confined and jailed here. Don't worry about me. I don't matter. Plus, I'll be here forever, Hiro won't."  
  
"Nall..." I whimpered.  
  
Every word he said to me was so filled with hidden emotion. I could tell he was sad, but I could also tell he sincerely wanted me to go. It was making me want to break down and cry for him. But, I decided to do what I wanted to do last time he was so sad, hug him. Slowly, I embraced my depressed friend.  
  
"What is this for?"  
  
"Because I can tell you're hurt..."  
  
"Pfft! I'm not hurt!" he scoffed.  
  
"Then why are my clothes wet?"  
  
"Because you're sweaty!"  
  
"You're crying that's why!"  
  
"I-I don't cry!" he choked out, "now get offa me!!"  
  
"No! I want to hold you right now..." I said as I gently rubbed his back.  
  
He was silent for a moment but I could still hear him sniffing.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" he whined, "just go inside and go to sleep!"  
  
"Shut up or I'll push you outta this tree," I threatened.  
  
I gasped softly as Nall put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Momentarily, all I could do was stare straight ahead...at his chest.  
  
"If you push me down...you're going down with me..." he sneered.  
  
I looked up at him and blushed. My face was a bit too close to his for comfort. But he didn't really seem to mind as he stared down into my watery eyes. I examined his face and saw that there was small trails of tears right under his eyes, but he wasn't crying anymore. He was smiling.  
  
"You're so fickled!" I laughed, "one moment you're sad, the next you're playing around again!"  
  
"That's just the way I am..."  
  
I opened my mouth to reply when he quickly took one hand from my waist and placed his finger on my mouth to quiet me.  
  
"Ruby...please go with Hiro. I can take care of the kids by myself for a few months. Heck, I've done so for like 800 years..." he said softly, brushing a stray hair from my face.  
  
"O-okay..."  
  
"Good, I want you to be happy. Now go get some sleep!"  
  
We let go of each other and I crawled out of the tree. I went into his room and went to straight to sleep. In the morning, I woke up to find Nall sprawled on the floor a few feet away from the bed, snoring away.  
  
"Dat's right fishies...come tah Nall...don't worry. I don't bite...heh heh heh..."  
  
I couldn't help but smile at him as his fingertips and the corners of his mouth twitched every now and then. He was drooling and his tounge lolled from the corner of his mouth.  
  
'Ronfar was right...Nall is like a child. Except Nall's more arrogant and prideful...'  
  
I watched him as he dreamed his crazy fish dream and talked in his sleep until Hiro came in. He walked over to me, stepping over Nall's sleeping form.  
  
"I guess he's really tired from staying up all last night..." Hiro said sitting next to me.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"So are you coming with me? Lucia said she'd wait for me at the Magic Guild where she'll teach the history of the Blue Star for a couple of months."  
  
"Yep! Nall said that he wanted me to go and have fun...but he was so sad about it. I could tell he was trying to hide it though," I said, still staring at Nall, "he's acts so tough but he's actually really sensitive..."  
  
"All boys are like that really, and he'll never grow out of it...hey, let's go this afternoon! I can't wait to start a new adventure with you!"  
  
"Okay!" I said blushing.  
  
I couldn't believe that Hiro was actually leaving Lucia for an adventure with little old me. Of course, it was only for a couple of months but, it was going to be just like old times. Just me and him, exploring every unexplored cave and being the best of friends we always were meant to be. Every now and then, my heart excited to the possibility that me and Hiro still had a chance to be with each other.

Note: I'm lost...You're lost...the whole world is lost...Just kidding...review and disregard my last note about the constructive critism. I enjoy the inflation of my ego! M'wahaha!


	4. Memories Far Away

Fire  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue

Note: Meow...Here's the 4th chapter. I finally got the italics to work (Thanks to 's new QuickEdit) so now the thoughts will be italized (did I spell that right). Now read it or die...'kay?!  
  
Chapter 4: Memories Far Away  
  
Hiro and I had went on our adventure several months ago and we had a blast. We went to this strange cave that appeared in the Althena's Springs. There we found a strange orcarina in a chest in the room in the very back. Then, we explored the Lion's Head. That was a hard place to explore because the monsters there were really tough. If I hadn't gone with him, Hiro would have been toast! But now, it was that time, again. Hiro, Lucia, Lemina, Jean, Ronfar, Leo, and myself were all gathered around that big green crystal at the Star Dragon Tower once again. Hiro and Lucia were about to return to the Blue Star. No one was sad this time. No one except for me.  
  
"See ya chief! See ya Lucia!"  
  
"Don't make yourselves strangers, 'kay?" Jean said.  
  
"Now that we know that you can visit, you better visit often! Lucia's an honorary member of the Magic Guild now!"  
  
"It was great seeing you two again," Leo said, shaking Hiro and Lucia's hands.  
  
I walked over to Hiro and looked up at him sadly.  
  
"They're right...visit often because I'll miss you..." I said, wiping a few tears from my eyes.  
  
"Don't worry, we will! And this time, I'll bring something back for everyone!"  
  
"In the near future, you all should be able to come to the Blue Star to visit us," Lucia said happily.  
  
I got on my toes and quickly kissed him, making him blush. He stared at me as I backed up and looked down at my feet.  
  
"Good luck then..." I mumbled.  
  
We watched as the couple stepped into the liquidy green crystal and disappeared. Ronfar let me hug him and cry into his chest.  
  
_'I can't believe Hiro's gone again. But, I knew this was going to happen so I should have prepared myself for this...'  
_  
The group left and went their separate ways, once again. This time, they used the Dragonship Destiny to take each other home so I all I had to do was take Lemina home. After I dropped Lemina off, I walked to Taben's Peak, where Nall was waiting. He was making the Dragon Kids lunch when I walked through the door. I sat at the kitchen table in silence as everyone around me chattered and yelled. Nall gave everyone their lunches and sat next to me with a plate of fish.  
  
"Yes?" I finally asked.  
  
"Fish?"  
  
He nudged his plate over to me and whimpered quietly, wanting me to accept it. I glared at him and turned my head.  
  
"Eat something...it'll make you feel better..." he said softly.  
  
I glanced at him again. He whimpered and gave me a puppy-dog look, making me giggle. He smiled at me.  
  
"Now that you've laughed...eat! Food always make me happy!"  
  
Knowing that chances were that he wasn't going to give up, I gave in and took the fish. While I ate, he just stared at the fish that he had obviously wanted.  
  
"Nall..."  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"You wanted this didn't you?"  
  
He averted his gaze from the fish to me then laughed as he looked away embarassed.  
  
"Actually I did...but you came in all sad and I knew that if I gave you my fish it would make you happy..."  
  
"That's really sweet of you..."  
  
I decided to give him half of the fish, which actually made him very happy. It was nice to see him happy like that, I didn't understand why though.  
  
"So Hiro and Lucia went back to the Blue Star?" he asked with a mouth full of fish.  
  
"Yeah..." I said, looking down at the rest of my fish.  
  
"Well...I said he would be back last time, and he did come back. So, I'll say he'll come back this time, and he will come back again..." he said taking my small hand into his.  
  
I looked up at him and couldn't help but laugh. There was crumbs all over his face and the fish fin was sticking out of his mouth. He frowned.  
  
"What? Why are you laughing?"  
  
"You always know how to make me feel better..." I said as I picked up a napkin and wiped his face off.  
  
"I didn't do that on purpose you know!"  
  
"That's the sad part about it..." I mumbled, "over 1000 years old and still act so immature..."  
  
"I know you are but what am I!?"  
  
"Immature!"  
  
"I know you are but what am I!?"  
  
"Immature!"  
  
"I know you are but what am I!?"  
  
I just shook my head and laughed as I continued to eat my fish. Every now and then I would catch him giving me a dirty look. When lunch was over, it was just me and Nall at the kitchen table. He still was chewing on a the fish fin like it was a chew toy. I tapped him, making him look up from his new toy.  
  
"Are you you happy that Hiro left?"  
  
"I dunno..." he said taking the fin out of his mouth, "it makes me happy that Lucia won't be alone while restoring the Blue Star and that Hiro will be with the woman he loves...but it makes me sad to see a friend go and to see another friend feel lonely because of it..."  
  
"You mean me?"  
  
"Duh..."  
  
"Oh...I didn't know you cared like that..." I said fumbling with my fingers.  
  
"Well, I don't like to see others lonely. It reminds me of...things..." he trailed off.  
  
"Like?"  
  
"Like it's none of your business!" Nall suddenly snapped.  
  
"You don't have to be so rude!!" I snapped back.  
  
"Well you shouldn't be butting in other people's business anyway you...bratty little girl!"  
  
"You were talking to me so it was my business too you dumb bastard!!"  
  
"I'm not talking to you anymore so now it's not your business!!"  
  
Just as I was about to retaliate, he stood up and walked out.  
  
_'Maybe I shouldn't have been prying...'_  
  
I sat there and thought about it. This felt just like when Hiro first left. Nall was trying to comfort me and then we wound up fighting. All I needed to do now was leave. But instead of leaving, I decided to say sorry right then and there. So, eventually, I followed him to his room. He was laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"Nall, I-I'm-"  
  
"No..."  
  
I blinked as he gazed blankly at the rusted ceiling.  
  
"No? Whaddya-"  
  
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have yelled at you..."  
  
"Oh...but-"  
  
"No..."  
  
Every time I attempted to apologize, he would say, "No". So, I sat on the bed and put my hand over his mouth so he couldn't speak.  
  
"Now...I wanna say sorry for asking. I should have known you wouldn't want to talk about whatever it was you were reminded of," I said quickly.  
  
I removed my hand. He sat up and looked at me.  
  
"You don't have to apologize," he said. He looked away and back up at the ceiling, "did you know...this is where my father died..."  
  
"Father? Well...uh...no. Why did you-"  
  
"This is also the very same building that caused Vane to fall from the sky...strange how some of my most horrible memories are here along side with my good ones..."  
  
"Why are you telling me this?"  
  
"Thought it might be interesting..."  
  
I stared at him. He wasn't being himself again and it disturbed me when he did that, which was often these days. Suddenly, he smiled.  
  
"I'm glad you're here..."  
  
"Gees Nall! Why are you being so weird!? First you act all nice, then mean, then you don't want me to say I'm sorry so you can gloat, then you're talking about the bad memories of this place, and now you're acting all nice again!!! Quit it!"  
  
He chuckled at my frustration, making me even more frustrated.  
  
"You're silly..."  
  
"I'd be burning you to a crisp right now if I knew how to use magic..."  
  
Suddenly, I thought about something. I took out the old orcarina me and Hiro found in the cave at Althena's Springs. When we found it, I decided that I should ask Nall about it, seeing as though Nall was really old and knew about old things.  
  
"I wanted to show you something me and Hiro found!" I said taking it out.  
  
Nall stared at it in shock and snatched it from me. I pouted and put my hands on my hips.  
  
"Snatching isn't nice!"  
  
"W-where did you find this!?" he asked, glancing at me for a moment then back at the orcarina.  
  
"Uh...in a cave in the Althena's Springs."  
  
"Then that mean this is..."  
  
He brought it to his mouth and began to play this really pretty song. It was slow and haunting, yet very soothing. The song made me want to smile, cry, and sing, all at the same time. When it ended, I took a deep breath and looked at him. Nall looked at it like he was in a dream. It seemed as though the orcarina had some special meaning to him. In his eyes, there was deep emotion that I don't usually see in him. Instead of his youthful, playful boy inside of him, there was a deeply hurt man. He smiled, slightly sad and slightly happy.  
  
"Well...that definately brought back many memories..."  
  
"Why?" I exhaled.  
  
"This...is Alex's orcarina..." he said dazed, "He gave this to me when he died and I put it in the Althena's Springs some time ago...I couldn't stand to look at it at the time..."  
  
"What was that song?" I asked.  
  
"The song Alex used to always play on it...with Luna singing along with him. It was a song to Althena called 'Thoughts Far Away'...written by Dragonmaster Dyne and passed on to Alex..."

(A/N: I finally figured out the name to that freakin' song...)  
  
Nall sighed and nuzzled the small, worn-out, instrument against his face.  
  
"Nall..is that orcarina important to you?"  
  
"Of course!" he said put it down beside him.  
  
I put my hands on top of the orcarina and pushed it closer to him.  
  
"Here you go...it's yours..."  
  
He stared at me bewildered for a while, before chuckling and shaking his head.  
  
"Silly...I wasn't planning on giving it back to you..." he said smirking.  
  
"You thief!" I exclaimed, punching him playfully.  
  
"That's what I am...but, I'll consider it a gift anyway. Thanks."  
  
I smiled at him as he walked away with the orcarina in his hand. Deep down I was so happy that I could make him happy. It was like earlier with the fish. Whenever Nall smiled his rougish, "I'm-the-best", smile that showed off his pearly white fangs, it made my heart beat like crazy and my head feel light with joy. I stood up and walked out to the playground where the kids were. A little later, all the kids had went inside to eat dinner and I was gazing out at the sunset when Nall walked up behind me.  
  
"Ruby..." he said tapping me.  
  
I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him. He was smiling broadly and his hands were behind his back. I raised an eyebrow as he hummed happily. Just a few hours ago he was upset about his bad memories and now he's smiling ear-to-ear and humming.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
"What? Uh...no?"  
  
"You wanna know why?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"'Cause...you got hit with a water balloon!!"  
  
Suddenly, he threw a big red water balloon at me, soaking me. I gasped and fell backward onto my butt. Nall smiled and helped me up. I growled and pouted.  
  
"Sorry...I couldn't help myself..." he laughed.  
  
"Yeah well...ha ha...very funny!"  
  
He lowered his eyes and smirked an odd smirk. I blinked as he lifted my arm, like someone would do when they were looking at your new clothes.  
  
"Hm...Ronfar was right..."  
  
Curious, I looked down as well to see what he was talking about. My red bra was showing through the white T-shirt I was wearing. I growled and punched Nall in the shoulder.  
  
"You pervert!!"  
  
"Nyah!"  
  
He laughed in a teasing way and ran away. I scowled and ran after him.  
  
"Get back here you dirty old man!!"  
  
"Oh, don't act like you didn't like it! You were all hot, sweaty, and bothered!"  
  
"Now you know that didn't sound right!" I screamed as I chased him around a corner.  
  
"Nyah nyah!"  
  
Suddenly, when I had rounded another corner, I couldn't find him. So I stopped and looked around.  
  
"Nall where are-YAH!!!"  
  
Abruptly, my sentence was ended by a bucket full of water being dumped onto my head. I snapped my head up and saw Nall hanging upside down by a pipe on the ceiling.  
  
"Wow, I have a great view from here!"  
  
I flushed and covered my chest. He smiled contently at me.  
  
"Quit it!"  
  
"Here..."  
  
Nall slid his coat off and dropped it onto my head. I put it on and looked up at him again. He smiled.  
  
"That was actually quite...fun..." he said.  
  
He dropped down and attempting to land gracefully on his feet. However, he landed on the water puddle, slipped, and fell...on me. We both blushed and stayed that way for awhile, just staring into each other's eyes.  
  
_'This feels so weird...him on top of me...yet it feels so good...but then again...he's really heavy and he's crushing me!! Get off of me already you doh-doh! No! Stay there forever...NO! Uh...what DO I want?'  
_  
"Ruby...I have to tell you something..."  
  
"Y-yeah?"  
  
"I-"  
  
"Big Brother! Can you fix my dress?" a little girl said, holding up a torn dress.  
  
Nall looked away from me and got off quickly. He brushed himself off and went with the little girl to sew up her dress. I sat up and stared after him.  
  
"How...strange..."  
  
Note: Heh...funny. The water balloon thing I got from something that happened to a friend of mine when he was on a C.O.T (it's a ROTC thing where you go to a camp and train and stuff). If anyone wants to use that idea, you can! Just gimme my props! Anyway, this is the last chapter I've written so far so I warn you, it might be a while before I can update this story...ya know, thanks to writer's block and all...


	5. DISCONTINUED

THIS STORY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS OLD AND OUT OF DATE.

Not to mention, a lot of my stories were lost since floppy disks do not last six years. My skills have improved tons over the last several years, so I encourage all of you who are interested in these fanfics to stick around read my new ones.

The only reason these stories are being kept (while most were backed up and deleted from this site) is because they are the best of my crappy stories and also seems to have gathered the most fans. I would feel bad taking away a story that a lot of people clearly like. So they are still around but will never be updated. If you review, you are beating a dead horse and I strongly suggest not doing so lest it rise from the dead to destroy you. Please do not ask for updates, rewrites, or anything having to do with these stories. They are done, they are dead, and they are never coming back.

I apologize for the inconvenience, but writing grows up with the writer and both me and my writing have grown past these stories to the point I could never continue them to your liking even if I tried.

Again, I encourage all who were interested to read my new fanfics! Thank you.


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